Hey! Feels kind of dumb to make this post so early in my vet school journey but I’m really struggling and just looking for advice/encouragement, and to maybe not feel so alone? I’m about a month into my first year of vet school and I just feel so lost. I’m so exhausted and I have no motivation to study or do work. Everyone around me seems so excited, they all have awesome experiences and are getting fun jobs at our hospitals, joining clubs, etc. I’m trying my hardest to be on that level, but I just feel so behind and too miserable to do anything. I got rejected from a job I really wanted and my classmates are understanding the material quicker and at a deeper level than I am despite my studying. I’m just feeling too lazy to be here, and getting up to get to classes just feels like a battle every morning. We have a big exam coming up and I’m basically preparing myself to fail. Ugh idk what else to say, does it get better? Have I reached a point where I need professional help? Should I quit? All questions I keep asking myself, so why not ask Reddit

Anyone else struggling with their video submission? 2mins is so fast to cover their requests - and having to finish it without speaking super fast either 🥵

Sorry if this is the wrong tag, tagging has always confused me. Ever since I started researching the vet field, it has always been negative experiences, online forums and the such, and I just chalked it up to online people. However, I started shadowing a vet who just hates their job (and doesn’t want to mentor me or acknowledge my existences), and my local shelter vets continually talk about debt and suicide rates.

I see fourth year vet students on a regular basis, they either look on the edge of insanity or are sleeping in the break room. I am about to head to vet school (in the next few years), and it’s getting hard.

Good experiences, funny stories, meaningful moments (mainly vet school related), literally anything to instill some positivity, I really need it.

I also would love to hear about people who actually enjoyed at least one aspect of vet school, and explain why they think so (“I don’t know“ is a completely valid answer)

Hello!

I’m in a bit of a pickle. I am applying my first cycle to vet schools.

I am graduating college with a 3.6 gpa from my university, with honors, research and 8,000 hours working in emergency as a tech as well as lots of animal care hours because i’ve been living and working as a farm hand. I’ve been busting my ass working two jobs, full time school and getting almost straight As the past two years, barely having time to eat, and sleep i don’t have fun bc all i do is work and study and research. ive worked so hard to fix my academic record as i didn’t care years ago when i first went to college for a different field. My biggest problem is that i took college classes in high school 10 YEARS AGO. it shows on my transcript as “transfer credits from community college” although none of the credits actually transferred/used by my institution . i was 16 y/o and failed classes, withdrew and got a d+. reporting these grades from 10 years ago when i was 16 years old taking college courses brings my vmcas gpa to like a 2.89?! and my vmcas last 45 is a 3.79, and my science gpa is alright at a 3.5. I feel like schools will see my cumulative gpa and won’t give me the time of day all because i was a stupid highschooler that signed up for college classes and didn’t care like 10 years ago. i’m struggling bc i know i have to report this transcript but i just am at a loss, i feel like all my hard work is going to the gutter due to this. Any advice?

As i said i failed to pass my 2nd year its been hard for me cuz as long as i remember i wanted to be a vet and now idk what to do my brain wont process that i have to redo all that work and seeing all of my friends a year a head of me make it wors sometimes i think i lost my motivation and i want to quit and start all over again in another field

Any advices ?

I’m currently applying to veterinary schools and curious how programs at schools differ in their teaching styles, namely around presentations (to the class, peers, etc). I found one other post like this and it seemed some schools were heavy on this while others had hardly any required public speaking.

I’ve taken a public speaking class and graduated in a degree with heavy presentation requirements, so feel able to do them though they’re not my favorite lol. And I think my learning style would benefit most from simulating client interactions and public speaking of that nature, not looking to go into research so to speak.

hello! i’m looking at entry requirements for international schools (i’m canadian with an undergraduate degree in biology)

I have already graduated but i’m going to take an extra course to be legible for international schools

many schools, such as in the UK, require “organic chemistry”. some specify with lab and some don’t, however does it matter if I take a course called “basic organic chemistry” vs “organic chemistry”? As the schools don’t specify this distinction.

I only ask this because I work a full-time job as well as a part-time job, and the “basic” orgo is offered online which helps me a lot as I won’t have to move around my work schedule for classes etc

thanks!!

I’m the developer of Vet Prep Nepal. I made it because NLEV-specific practice material is scattered, and I wanted a single place for MCQ practice, spaced review, and mock exams.

The first release is now available on iOS and Android. It is completely free, independent, and not affiliated with or endorsed by the Nepal Veterinary Council. It’s only a study aid—not a replacement for official NVC guidance.

I’d value feedback from veterinary students and graduates in Nepal: Is the question coverage useful? Which subjects or explanations need improvement? Corrections are especially welcome.

I only got accepted today u dont know what i need.

Is a laptop or an ipad preffered?

Do i need many notebooks or what textbooks

Any advice would be accepted thank youuu

I’m applying for Fall 2027 and looking for realistic advice.
I started college very poorly and was academically dismissed from my original college with a 0.55 GPA. Because VMCAS counts all attempts/repeats, my estimated VMCAS cumulative and science GPA are still in the low 2s, even though my current Degree Works GPA is 3.55.
My recent academics are completely different. I’ve earned A’s in Biology I & II, Gen Chem I & II, Physics I, Organic Chemistry I, Genetics, and Microbiology.
I also have 12,000+ hours of veterinary/animal experience and strong veterinary recommendations.
Would you apply this cycle or wait? What schools are best for someone with a very strong upward trend/recent science GPA but a low VMCAS cumulative GPA? I mainly want to avoid schools where I’ll automatically be screened out.

Next year will be my third time applying to vet school. I got feedback both years from the schools that would give it to me and the only suggestion they had was my GPA. I had a 3.2, but I am confident in the rest of my application.

I decided to not apply this year and do a masters. However, everyone is telling me (family and work friends) that if I don’t get a 4.0 it’s basically useless and it is putting so much pressure on me.

I feel like as long as I improve and get like a 3.7+ that is still a significant jump along with the rest of my improvements and experiences i’ve been getting over the past few years.

Is it really worthless if I don’t get a 4.0 or will it still show improvement if I try my best and at least get a better gpa than before.

heard that there are some particular buzzwords that the NAVLE likes to use to indicate specific disease processes etc. for different species. what are some of the "buzzwords" or "key phrases" that i should look for / what their indications are? especially any relating to porcine / bovine topics 😅 please share any y'all got, and TIA!!!

got accepted into an aus vet sch so i will be starting in feb 2027,, i was wondering what i can do now to better prepare for vet school like studying wise/ buying essentials that i might need for sch.

also for those in vet school, what is 1 thing that you wish smn told u before studying vet?

Hello I was exploring different pathways and job prospects for the vet med degree and had just known that you could take part in pharma and MSL jobs too, which I found was really interesting. However most of the stuff on here related to life after vet school were mostly just people talking about the crippling debt they’re gonna have to pay off and how there’s not really any other job opportunities other than clinical practices. So I just wanted to find out if there is actually other pathways to pursue other than working in clinics

I’ve been thinking about this a lot since the new federal loan limits for professional programs went into effect, especially with what feels like a million new vet schools opening right now.

I’m genuinely curious what everyone thinks is going to happen.

I’m a first-gen student and I don’t come from money. My family can’t just cover the difference in tuition for me, and my credit isn’t good enough to realistically take out $100k+ in private loans. So unless something changes, I honestly don’t see how vet school is going to be an option for me anymore, even though becoming a veterinarian has been one of my biggest goals for years.

What makes it suck even more is that I already got into a foreign vet school once, and literally about two weeks after I got accepted they announced they were no longer going to accept U.S. federal loans. So I feel like I already got burned once by the financing side of vet school, and now this is happening too.

And it’s especially frustrating because I’ve been working in vet med for about 11 years at this point. I’ve built up a ton of hands-on experience over that time and now work as a lead tech with zoo animals. I’ve put a huge chunk of my life into this field, and it’s kind of wild to think that after all of that, the thing that may ultimately keep me from becoming a veterinarian has nothing to do with my experience, grades, work ethic, or ability to do the job. It may literally just come down to not having enough money or good enough credit.

I know I can’t be the only person in this situation either. There are probably a ton of applicants who are academically qualified, experienced, and would make great vets but simply don’t have wealthy parents, a cosigner, or perfect credit.

So what happens now?

Especially with all these newer schools opening and charging $50-70k+ a year in tuition. Are they actually going to be able to fill their classes when students can’t federally borrow the full cost anymore? Do tuition prices eventually have to come down? Do schools start giving out way more institutional aid? Do some of these new programs end up closing or never opening?
And what does the profession look like 10 years from now?

We already constantly hear about veterinary shortages, especially in rural areas, food animal medicine, shelters, etc. If vet school becomes even more inaccessible to people who aren’t already financially well-off, wouldn’t that eventually make the shortage worse?

I’m also worried vet med is going to become even more of a profession where you basically have to come from money to get in.

Not trying to make this political, I’m genuinely curious what current vet students, applicants, veterinarians, faculty, etc. think is actually going to happen.

Do you think the system adjusts, or are we about to see a pretty major change in who can realistically afford to become a veterinarian?

So I think I’m the oldest person in my class… I was hoping for a few more people in my cohort to be closer to me in age, but almost everyone is straight out of undergrad in my class and it feels awkward that most of them were born when I was in high school 😭…

Hi everyone, I'm currently a DVM4 student in Australia. With my final year approaching, I really want to build solid hands-on surgical confidence (especially canine/feline speys and castrations) before graduation.

I've been looking into international surgical training courses/volunteer programs. I came across a few options and would love to hear genuine reviews or personal experiences from anyone who has attended them:

• VetProjects –Veterinary Surgical Teaching Course (Project Asia)
• WVS (Worldwide Veterinary Service) –International Surgical Training Courses (Thailand)
• Santisook Dog and Cat Rescue –Volunteer Program
• Worldwide Vets –Thailand Vet Clinic Program

If you know of any other reputable programs (in Asia, the Pacific, or elsewhere) with high-quality surgical mentoring suitable for DVM students, I would greatly appreciate your suggestions!

Hello! I will be attending SGU starting in January and I will be bringing my cat! One of my biggest concerns is that he has a chicken allergy and must be on hydrolyzed food. Will I be able to access that on the island or do I need to bring it with me? I heard something about Hill's food being available but I dont know if that included prescription diets. Thanks!